


forty

by fairyslush



Series: convivencia [2]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: If You Squint - Freeform, M/M, mentions of changkyun and jooheon, tw: a lot of incriminating sass from the one and only chae hyungwon, tw: psychological disorders, tw: self-harm (very mild)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-05-01 17:59:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 7,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5215295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairyslush/pseuds/fairyslush
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"if we're still single by the time we are forty--an impossibility in my case, but i do like keeping backup plans--we're going to marry each other. capiche?"  </p><p>wonho doesn't have half the mind to say no.</p><p>a short collection of drabbles and shorts narrating modelesque lawschool prodigy chae hyungwon's and aspiring producer-slash-business major shin wonho's escapades and adventures on their way to forty.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"let me get this  _straight_ ," hyungwon turns towards his bestfriend with an inquisitive brow, his lean arms crossed over his surprisingly broad chest as he paces before the sulking ravenette. "you broke up with the  _kitten_  be _cause_..." he lengthens the final syllable, placing an unecessary stress on the letter 's' as he spoke. "...he  _dissed_  me?"  
  
wonho is silent, dark eyes glaring at the vase atop their coffee table as his fingers clenched in his intertwined palms.  
  
in their household, silence, more often than not, means yes.  
  
" _hoseok_ -hyung..." the blonde heaves a heavy sigh, rolling his eyes as he sat next to the distressed boy, placing an arm across his shoulder and giving him a small shake. "he's the third one this year. you have to stop being so... _touchy._ "  
  
slowly, wonho turns his head towards the blonde, his expression painting that of angered disbelief.  
  
"he said very rude things about you, hyungwon." wonho mutters, sounding as if the kitten he formerly dated committed a crime that could rival hitler's own misdeeds. "you know how i feel about  _that_."  
  
"let's be real here," hyungwon jokes, his lips curling into a smirk as he let out a monosyllabic chuckle. "he was probably just telling the truth."  
  
again, wonho glares.  
  
"that's not the  _point._ " wonho retaliates. "he doesn't even  _know_  you."  
  
"that  _is_ the point." hyungwon banters, removing his arm from the other's shoulder. "don't you think it's kind of like the movies? innocent boy, charming boy--mostly it is a girl but, we've already broken through heteronormativity--" he gestures with his hands as he speaks. "--and then in comes the asshole bestfriend who ruins everything for the lovely couple."  
  
wonho thinks the blonde's smile is out of place.  
  
"you did not ruin  _anything_ , hyungwon." for once in their conversation, his tone is more worried than angered. "it was all him."  
  
" _him_?" hyungwon stifles a chuckle. "whatever you say to make you sleep at night, hyung."  
  
the ravenette gives him a final glare, before going back into his sulking state.  
  
hyungwon heaves out yet another sigh. "you have to stop bringing all of your dates here."  
  
wonho doesn't budge. hyungwon takes this as a sign that he has, as always, hit a nerve.  
  
"aren't you a big  _baby_." hyungwon mutters under his breath, standing up from the couch they shared.  
  
wonho expects him to leave him alone for the night, but the modelesque giant seems to have other thoughts in mind.  
  
"come on," the blonde invites, taking both of the dark-haired boy's hands--hard and sturdy--in his--lean and graceful--as he pulls him out of the couch. "i know _just_ the thing to make you feel better."  
  
in their dimly lit apartment suite, hyungwon pulls his elder along the wide maze of their sleek furniture, before stopping in front of the ivory white grand piano, smack dab in the middle of their luxurious drawing room. the curtains were drawn, the midnight city lights of seoul remaining unseen from the gallery of floor-to-ceiling windows that served as replacements for walls. with a swift move, hyungwon pulls the bench from underneath the instrument, motioning for the elder to sit.  
  
" _play._ "  
  
wonho stares at him, looking dumbfounded, his eyes travelling back and forth from the blonde to the piano.  
  
"come on." hyungwon pulls at his arm, a rare soft smile curled upon his lips as he did so. "you always did this when we were kids, when uncle would scold you for focusing too much on music and not on business."  
  
wonho blinks, a fragment of a memory replaying itself in his conscious. he shakes his head to put it to a stop, before finally sitting down on the bench, the grin on hyungwon's face widening when he did so. "the usual?" wonho asks. hyungwon nods.  
  
within a few seconds, their apartment suite is filled with the soft notes of chopin's " _meine freuden_ ", one of wonho's favorite pieces to play and hyungwon's to listen to. casually, the blonde settles his head upon the crook of the ravenette's shoulder, his eyes slowly fluttering to a close  so he could appreciate the dulcet tones even further. a small smile curls upon wonho's lips at this, and he could feel his anger slowly ebbing away, replaced by calm and content and a hint of hyungwon's strawberry-scented shampoo.  
  
"hey," wonho murmurs in hushed tones, not wanting to overpower the peak of the piece. "hyungwon."  
  
"mhm?" hyungwon hums, coupling his answer with a small snuggle.  
  
"can we be forty  _now_?"  
  
in time with the query, wonho puts his piano playing to an abrupt stop. he chews on his bottom lip, anxious for the younger's answer, a small shake obvious in the sturdy hands that rested on the sleek ebony and ivory. hyungwon doesn't budge from his position. wonho hopes that this is a good sign.  
  
"hyungwon?"  
  
instead of answering, hyungwon places his hand atop wonho's own, gently pressing down and producing a mangled a minor with his small action. wonho quirks a brow, dark eyes observing the younger's expression,which gave no hints of his intention.  
  
"no."  
  
in seconds, hyungwon is gone from his side, the modelesque prodigy already making his way towards his own room. wonho stares, blank and confused for a few moments, before turning away from the blonde view and shaking his head at his own uncalled-for outburst.  _what did you even expect, shin hoseok_ , he though to himself, chuckling as he felt the first prick of bitter tears pooling at his tearducts .  _what did you even expect._  
  
"i'm taking the left side of your bed, hyung."  
  
wonho blinks back the waterworks, turning towards the younger with his most baffled expression.  
  
"what?"  
  
hyungwon looks at him as if he was the mental case. in his arms were his blanket and pillows, all collected from his own room, and his trajectory seemed to be going towards wonho's own chambers. " _what_?" the blonde blinks, subtly pouting. "if you're going to cry yourself to sleep, it  _has_ to be in my presence."  
  
wonho stares, blinks, before finally letting out a small laugh. "i can't believe i considered marrying you a minute ago."  
  
hyungwon merely shrugs, looking incredibly amused. "i can't believe it wasn't much earlier,  _hyung._ "  
  
wonho shakes his head, the glint in his eyes teasing. "hard to consider when it's satan himself you're looking at."  
  
hyungwon places a hand to his chest, looking offended. "i personally prefer  _lucifer_." 


	2. Chapter 2

hyungwon doesn't like mornings.  
  
in fact, it could even be said that the modelesque prodigy generally doesn't like being awake. but today was one of those unfortunate moments where he is forced by the university system to get out of bed and go to a seminar in the wee hours in the morning (read: before 11 am in hyungwonese), so he is currently not in the cheeriest of moods.  
  
"come on, hyungwon." wonho chides, practically pushing the taller male (who, by the way, was wearing the snobbiest pair of sunglasses over his eyes) to walk forward and fast. "a little sun wouldn't kill you, you know?"  
  
"it could." hyungwon replies, his tone none too amused despite being garbled by a yawn. "ever heard of skin cancer?"  
  
wonho merely rolls his eyes, shaking his head at the younger's banter. "i'll buy you coffee."  
  
hyungwon purses his lips, but he follows his elder into the nearest coffee shop they could find. he leaves the dark-haired boy to find a seat by the window (wonho  _does_  have his order memorized by now), and decides to steal a few moments of slumber on the leathery loveseat. wonho arrives a few moments after, slipping his change into his wallet, before sitting across the half-asleep boy as he waits for their orders to be settled.  
  
"one grande iced americano with two sugars for wonho!" the barista called, too cheerily for the morning. wonho doesn't budge, waiting for the next name to be called. hyungwon merely raises an eyebrow behind his designer spectacles. the barista stalls in his name-calling, his brows furrowed in slight confusion (or is that... _amusement_?) as he peruses the moniker he had to call next.  
  
"and one...pft." the barista holds back a chortle, biting down upon his lip. "one caramel machiatto, double espresso, no whip for  _satan_!"  
  
hyungwon jolts awake, his lips forming a thin line at the joke. but before he could even dramatically pull down his glasses to stare down at the culprit, wonho had already disappeared to collect their orders from the counter.  
  
" _hilarious_." hyungwon spat, grabbing his cup from the elder. "so _original_."  
  
"it's not slander if it's the truth,  _attorney_." wonho teased, stabbing his own cup with the straw provided.  
  
" _please_." hyungwon pulls down his spectacles, for effect. "i told you i preferred  _lucifer_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "coffee for satan!" "so original"
> 
> you can say i'm the one hyungwon is sassing istg


	3. Chapter 3

for a week, wonho comes home to a pitch black apartment, the sole source of light coming only from the slightly ajar door of hyungwon's bedroom.  
  
" _don't talk to me_." the blonde warns, feeling his presence in the room before wonho could even speak. his normally meticulously coiffed hair was tied up into a ponytail, and dark-rimmed, thick-lensed glasses sat on his aristocratic nose. weirdly, the whole get-up doesn't make him look any less handsome. _the world is unfair_ , wonho thinks.   
  
"finals?" wonho asks, but the way the blonde continues to pore into his readings like it was the sole thing that mattered (the influence of an adderal dose, most likely) makes it seem like he's not going to get an audible answer. the piles of readings stacked up from the floor, matched with the rainbow of scattered highlighters and post-it-notes decorating his sheets and shis notes, were more than enough confirmation.  
  
with a silent wish goodluck, wonho shrugs and walks himself out of the law student's room.  
  
it wasn't until four hours later that wonho decides to come back, only to find the handsome prodigy hunched over his books, peacefully snoring, dangerously close to drooling over a page that was entitled " _labor law._ "   
  
wonho half-smirks and half-chuckles, shaking his head as he picks up the younger's blanket from the bed, before draping it on hyungwon's broad shoulders and carefully slipping his glasses out from his head.  
  
there is  the slightest shift in the blonde's sleeping expression.  
  
"article 5...section _7_..."  
  
wonho tries his hardest not to laugh. he knows it is not a good idea to wake-up a sleeping hyungwon after an intense study session. he is not, after all, in the mood for the devil's half-asleep wrath. instead, he traps the chortle inside pursed lips, those same pursed lips planting a small goodnight kiss atop the younger's one's head.  
  
"don't overwork like you won't  _kill_ it if you didn't" he whispers, giving the other's blonde mop a final ruffle. "sleep well."  
  
he leaves the tiny, unicorn shaped nightlight on before he goes to his own chambers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk man i just thought hyungwon would be the type to sleep w a unicorn nightlight


	4. Chapter 4

the moment hyungwon opens the door to their shared apartment, he is met with a naked wonho who is mid-thrust into a naked lady who sounded like the unfortunate mix of the girl from the ring and one of those chicken toys in the vines he had watched for weeks.  
  
" _oh_." hyungwon stalls for a few seconds,his bottom lip jutting out along with the raise of his brows.  
  
"what the  _fuck,_  hyungwon?" wonho practically shrieks, pulling out of the lady--has hyungwon seen her somewhere before? probably--who in turn, gave out a desperate whimper. "shouldn't you be in class?"  
  
hyungwon's expression is unreadable, but wonho could swear that there was the slightest smirk on his lips as he makes his way towards his bedroom. "don't mind me,  _hyung_. i just forgot my book on marital law and sexual violations." he peeks out and gives his elder a wink before finally going into his chambers. "pretend i was never here."  
  
wonho does not. he can't. the girl on his couch, though, looked like she would prefer to pretend.  
  
hyungwon finally resurfaces from his room, stuffing two thickly bound books into his file case as he proceeds towards the door. "by the way--" he turns towards the girl as he twists the knob, a mischievous glint too obvious in his dark hues. "hyung likes being tied up to bed posts." another wink, but this time, it was towards the elder. "among other things."  
  
wonho doesn't know if he is red because of embarrassment or because of anger.  
  
"get the _fuck_ out, chae hyungwon." wonho seethes, but hyungwon shrugs his anger off.  
  
"i am, i am." the blond opens the door and lets himself out, finally. "don't forget to clean up the couch after, okay?"  
  
silence. wonho's fists clench and unclench. the girl, unsatisfied, stares at him in confusion.  
  
"you didn't tell me you had such a  _hot_  roomma--"  
  
she is cut off by the raven-haired boy stalking out of the living room and hastily collecting her discarded clothes, before haphazardly dumping it all on her naked body, without a guise of gentleness nor remorse.  
  
" _please leave._ "  
  
the girl blinks, confused, before raising her arms out in surrender, dressing up and doing what she is told.  
  
wonho, on the other hand, contemplates if he should truly follow hyungwon's advice on never bringing any of his dates home.


	5. Chapter 5

"have you never thought of kissing me?"  
  
for a few moments, wonho regrets choosing truth instead of dare in their stupid little game. but sadly, he doesn't know which choice would cost him less of his life when he's playing with  _the_  chae hyungwon. instead of backing out, he swallows,  then he stares at the nearest object he could find that is above the blonde's eye level, pupils quivering as he did so.  
  
"never  _ever_?" hyungwon pushes, raising a perfectly groomed brow to punctuate his teasing query. "like,  _ever_?"  
  
silence.  
  
hyungwon sighs. "you know silence means yes, hoseok-hyung." the younger motions a pout, a prelude to a night long session of sulking, followed by his arms crossing over his chest as he leans back on the couch.  "i can't believe you never thought about kissing me--me!--ever in your life, hyung!" for once, he sounds genuinely exasperated, instead of merely dramatic. "do you know how big of a blow that is to my e--"  
  
"i have." wonho breaks the younger's litanies, and the blonde blinked in confusion as an aftermath of being interrupted. "but--" he raises a finger, momentarily closing his eyes as his tone changed into matter of fact. "never have i dared to kiss you in our many years of being friends because i am afraid that no one would be able to live up to you and i will be fucked for eternity."  
  
hyungwon's eyes blink, then widen, before those doe eyes of his go into a full-on stare.  
  
wonho, on the other hand, tilts his head to the side, a brow quirked in what seemed like inquisition.  
  
"then do it." hyungwon's assertion breaks the awkward silence. "kiss me, then."  
  
"no." wonho shakes his head, before making a move to get out of the couch. "i'm going to go to sleep."  
  
he begins to stand up, but hyungwon was taller and faster, and in mere seconds he finds himself pinned down to the floor, the glint in the blonde's eyes filled with nothing but utter mischief. wonho gulps, fighting back the shivers.  
  
"come on." hyungwon whines, leaning forward with his lips ready to kiss, purposefully aiming at the other's own mouth. "you  _know_  you want me, hyung."  
  
wonho evades, turning his head so the younger's lips only meets his cheek. "no!" hyungwon attacks his neck instead, the tickling sensation making him chuckle a little. "i don't want my soul to be sucked out, you fucking dementor!"  
  
hyungwon matches his chortles, before proceeding to attack once more, yet he hits the other's shoulder instead. wonho, for his part, had to try his hardest to stifle a small moan. "joke's on you, hyung." a cheeky grin. "your soul's already  _mine_."  
  
wonho laughs before making a face, play-struggling from underneath hyungwon's hold. "then give it back!"  
  
"kiss me first!" hyungwon teases yet again, making childish kissing noises as he pouts his lips to their fullest.  
  
they go on like this for a while, their bodies a tangle on the unit's carpeted floor, their chuckles and laughs and giggles a harmonious blend that bounced along their apartment's walls. slowly, they come to a halt, their eyes finally interlocking, their mirth slowly dying out as their fingers intertwine, their faces inching closer and closer.  
  
hyungwon purposefully misses, settling instead on burying his face against the crook of wonho's neck. " _nah_."  
  
wonho smirks and chuckles, giving the younger's hand a small squeeze. "nah."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nah


	6. Chapter 6

the next morning, wonho wakes up to a hyungwon hovering over him, those dark orbs of his seemingly searching for answer on his unblemished bare face.  
  
"what the  _fu_ \--"  
  
before wonho can utter another syllable, hyungwon already has his lips upon his, and the softness of those chops and the minty coolness of the younger's toothpaste made the kiss incredibly hard to resist. he is not sure if the blonde is awake with the sloppy way his lips met with his own, but it pains him to admit that even the clumsy osculation that the younger was doing put every other kiss he had received in his life to utter shame.  
  
wonho is right for refusing to kiss his bestfriend for all these years. no one will be able to live up to  _this._  
  
hyungwon breaks the kiss when he remembers he still needs to breathe, and he allows himself to fall unto his elder, resting his head upon the crook of his neck. he inhales.  
  
wonho thinks he is fucked for eternity.  
  
"hyungwon?" he manages to say, tapping the younger on his back. did the blonde go back to sleep?  
  
"mhm?" hyungwon hums, but he doesn't budge from his position. instead, he snuggles further unto the elder boy's neck.  
  
"i have class in  _forty-five_." wonho, after all, likes his classes in the morning. this never fails to boggle hyungwon everyday.  
  
"no you don't." hyungwon answers, his tone laced with notes of sleep. " _beds_  don't go to class."

wonho blinks, but an amused smile bursts upon his lips for a moment. "i'm not a bed, hyungwon."  
  
"yes you  _are_." hyungwon whines, nuzzling wonho's  neck with his nose. wonho knows he has lost. "now let me sleep."  
  
instead of answering, wonho turns his head the slightest way to plant a kiss on hyungwon's cheek, and he could swear that he has seen the tiniest smile curl upon the younger's lips, before going back to dreamland himself.


	7. Chapter 7

"whatever you do,  _don't_ look to your nine-o 'clock." hyungwon warns over the loud thrum of the club's electronic dance music. he has a champagne flute on one hand and a bottle of d'asti in the other. "it's not a pretty sight."  
  
wonho, ever curious, decides not to heed his warnings, and looks. "oh."  
  
a few tables away from their own, wonho spies the kitten, the one he had so courageously dumped just a year ago in a fit of protective rage, happily dancing with a smaller redhead. hyungwon believes that he has seen the redhead in one of his classes, but his identity was the least of his concerns at the moment. instead, he looks over to check up on his hyung.  
  
"you okay?"  
  
in answer, wonho slinks his arms around his waist from behind, before resting his chin and cheek upon his shoulder. hyungwon smirks, puts the bottle of d'asti on the counter to free his hand, and uses this free hand to tap his elder's cheek twice (for good measure). "you _liked_  him, didn't you?"  
  
wonho tightens his embrace, nuzzling further unto the other's shoulder. "not as much as i like _you_."  
  
the reply is drowned by the cacophonic tunes the dj is blaring.  
  
"hm?" hyungwon quirks a brow, his hand now absent-mindedly caressing wonho's own.  
  
" _nothing_." wonho buries his face against hyungwon's back. "thanks for the warning."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can you guys guess who changkyun was with in the bar?


	8. Chapter 8

wonho comes home to a pitch black apartment, and the alarm bells sound a loud ringing in his head as he knows that hyungwon has long been done with whatever final exams he had in his life.  
  
"hyungwon?" he calls, his holler laced with nothing but urgent worry. "hyungwon!"  
  
he runs around their shared apartment, his chest growing heavier with every second he does not see a speck of his bestfriend's blonde hair. he worries, because the last time he came home to something like this, he had to carry the long-limbed titan three blocks away to the nearest hospital to get his stomach pumped. and wonho really does not want to revisit that moment ever, ever again.  
  
"come on" wonho seethes, biting his thumb as he taps the floor with his foot in anxiety. "where the _fuck_ are you, chae hyungwon."  
  
he hears the faintest sound of water dripping from the bathroom, and he immediately bolts towards the frosted door and banged on its wooden surface. "hyungwon!" he calls, twisting the knob that was thankfully unlocked, before quickly rushing inside.  
  
what he sees is a fully-dressed hyungwon half-submerged in cold bath water in their tub, his eyes rimmed with red and staring into space, his blonde hair wet and dripping, his lips chapped, dry, and shivering.  
  
"hyungwon!" wonho calls, immediately coming to the boy's side, haphazardly pulling a towel from their rack. he wraps the fluffy cloth around the shaking boy's shoulders, before pulling him close into a tight embrace. hyungwon, despite having the shakes, does not budge.  
  
 _thank god it's just this_ , wonho thinks, recalling a billion ways this encounter could've gotten worse.  
  
wonho breaks their embrace, cupping either of hyungwon's cheeks, a small fracture forming in his own heart at how lifeless the blonde's eyes look. they did not hold their usual trouble nor mischief--the dark orbs looking like nothing but deep and empty pools surrounded by red-flecked white. wonho has no idea what has caused this episode, but he does not ask or pry, as he knows he will not be getting any proper answers when the blonde is in this present state of mind.  
  
instead, wonho gently fishes into the bath for hyungwon's arms and checks for any damage. he smiles, finding none. he then gently lifts the tall boy out of the bath, oblivious to the fact that his thousand dollar suit was going to get ruined, because a thousand dollars isn't worth a cent to the safety of his--he hesitates at the word due to their most recent encounters-- _bestfriend._  
  
"you are too  _nice_  to me," hyungwon mutters, barely a whisper, too weak to do anything but limp against wonho's sturdier form. wonho says nothing, offers a mere shake of his head, before gently setting down the still-wet blonde upon his own bed. hyungwon just sits, his expression lifeless, his eyes solemnly following the elder's movements inside the room.  
  
wonho gets him clothes to change into, but doesn't leave him alone to undress. instead, he unbuttons the younger's shirt by himself, using the softest gestures to get him out of the wet material. the ravenette frowns when he sees the redness of scratches lining the blonde's torso, but he says nothing, just towels off the rest of the water, before slipping on a comfortable sweater--his own, for old time's sake--over hyungwon's form.  
  
" _too good_." hyungwon mumbles, his voice mimicking a low done. "too good for someone like me."  
  
wonho pays him no heed. he finishes clothing the blonde, lifting him up once more to transfer into his own bedroom. hyungwon doesn't protest, instead buries his face unto the crook of the elder's neck, nuzzling close to get more of the familiar scent. wonho sets him down on the bed, and hyungwon waits until the elder has changed out of his own wet clothes into something more fit for sleep. the dark-haired boy then lies down on the sheets, and hyungwon doesn't even have to move to be embraced, and for once, he realizes how long he has been seeking this kind of warmth, this kind of utter comfort.  
  
"i'm not good eno--" wonho silences him with a kiss to his forehead, his fingers raking through his still-damp blonde locks.  
  
"you're not  _good._ " the elder banters, inhaling softly. "but you're good enough for me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -hyungwon's a functional bipolar, if anyone was curious.  
> -i actually was supposed to write a "morning after" chapter for this but i completely forgot about it  
> -maybe it was for the best


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SMUT WARNING! do you have the mental age of an 18 year old and above? if so, read on!

their most inaproppriate conversation begins in the middle of a heated tennis match.  
  
"hyung," hyungwon starts, hitting a rather tricky serve towards the raven-haired elder. "i have a question."  
  
wonho is forced to run to the other side of the court just to catch the impressive shot, but he manages to return it with ease. "shoot."  
  
hyungwon barely has to move to give back the shot. asshole, wonho thinks. "who do you think would top between the two of us?"  
  
the ball boundes on wonho's court and rolls towards the fence, unnoticed and unreturned.  
  
" _excuse_ me?" wonho coughs, his pitch raising in disbelief. hyungwon smirks his signature. "what?"  
  
hyungwon offers an innocent shrug. "don't be a  _baby_ , hyung." he juts his bottom lip out as he walks towards the net, his racket tucked between his armpit as he crosses his arms over his chest. "it's a  _simple,_  yet important, question."  
  
wonho coughs out a few more breaths, his ears turning red at the sudden thought of having sex with the blonde. it wasn't as if he hasn't thought about taking the boy right there in their apartment, but that was the reason why lotion and tissues and pornography existed. especially since it was only recently that they've started exploring how their lips tasted upon each other.  
  
"you couldn't wait until we're home until you ask me this?" wonho mutters through gritted teeth. hyungwon merely raises a brow at his embarrassment. wonho, as always, has the worst feeling at the pit of his gut at where this conversation was going.  
  
"as i said, don't be a _baby,_ hyung." hyungwon banters, shrugging yet again. "just answer it."  
  
"well..." wonho clears his throat, avoiding the other's gaze by staring right atop hyungwon's head. "i'm going to say i'll top."  
  
hyungwon quirks a brow, his lip curling into a smirk. "oh?"  
  
wonho gulps, but he tries to hide his nerves from the younger's sharp hues. "i mean one--i'm  _older_. and..." he gives hyungwon a once-over. "well.. _.bigger._  i think that would give me the topping privileges."  
  
hyungwon purses his lips to conceal a chuckle. "that's  _adorable_." he teases. "you should know i never bottom."  
  
"well," wonho's foot taps impatiently on the grass. he didn't like playing tennis that much, but it was better than being suddenly interrogated about his sexual positioning preferences under the heat of the noontime sun. "there's a first time for everything."  
  
" _sure_."  
  
wonho does not like the tone hyungwon used.  
  
by some workings of unknown machinations (or perhaps, the deadly mix of hyungwon's lips practically devouring his and the summer heat making his head a bit more vulnerable to dirty talk), wonho finds himself naked and pinned against the sports club's shower wall, his legs tightly wound around hyungwon's slim waist, his nails dragging against the younger's back as some sort of petty revenge for what had transpired. his breath comes in stuttered hitches with the way hyungwon practically dances into him, perfectly in time with the strokes the blonde gives to his cock.  
  
wonho bites back a rather loud moan, and hyungwon had the nerve to chuckle at this.  
  
"go on,  _hyung_." he whispers, his tone a mix of lust and mischievous teasing. "i don't mind you screaming my name, you know."  
  
"a- _asshole._ " wonho stutters, his eyes fluttering to a close once hyungwon thrust into him in the best way possible, and the elder could swear that he saw constellations. "what if..." he lets out a breathy moan. "what if someone hears us."  
  
hyungwon, again, chuckles, nibbling at the soft skin atop wonho's pulse. "i really don't care if they hear you scream, hyung." he punctuates the syllable by ramming into the elder, hard. wonho has to remind himself that he still needs to breathe. "as long as it's my name you're screaming."  
  
wonho would've come from that statement alone, if not for the almost painful hold hyungwon had upon his dick.  
  
he comes when hyungwon lets him, and he does scream out the younger's name, much to his annoyance and hyungwon's teasing glory. his cock leaks upon the blonde's toned stomach as he holds unto him as tight as he could manage, shivering and shaking as he rides out an intense orgasm. hyungwon braces the both of them against the shower wall, panting heavily as he reaches his own climax, and down the drain swirled a sticky mix of the shower water and their own bodily fluids.  
  
wonho struggles to find his footing upon the tiled floor, and he is thankful that hyungwon isn't too much of an asshole to just let him go in the middle of his most vulnerable moment. they stay still for a few moments, just breathing and panting and calming themselves down, until hyungwon decides to break the peace by slapping his elder's butt, successfuly making wonho yelp in pain.  
  
"what the fuck?" wonho practically shrieks, but his limbs felt too much like jelly to retaliate with an attack.  
  
"aw, that sucks." hyungwon lifts his head up to face him, and there is a very slappable pout upon his ethereal face. "your voice is not so high-pitched anymore."  
  
"do you want to _fight,_  chae hyungwon?" wonho glares, his ears turning red at the accusation. "do you?"  
  
"get _over_  yourself, hyung." hyungwon smirks, his brow quirked. "you won't even be able to walk properly for a few hours."  
  
wonho glares, but he soon realizes that hyungwon is right.  
  
he is thankful that the younger isn't as big of an asshole post-copulation than he is in the during, as it would be incredibly hard for him to shower when his legs refused to respond to his own bidding. the blonde teases for a few times here and there, but it wasn't unbearable--in fact, he could see why a lot of his bedmates crave for a second round with the modelesque figure. but no, he refuses to admit that he enjoyed it, refuses to be a statistic in the long list of people who would die for a taste of  _the_ chae hyungwon.  
  
wonho likes to think he was different, after all.  
  
hyungwon slings his arm around his shoulder to aid him in walking back to their vehicle, throwing a cheeky "knee injury" at almost everyone who gave the limping ravenette a questioning look. wonho slightly wishes that that was indeed the case.  
  
"you still think you top, hyung?" hyungwon teases, starting up the car's engine.  
  
"shut the  _fuck_  up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha nothing y'all can ever say to me can convince me that wonho tops hyungwon


	10. Chapter 10

"it's  _just_  two years, hyung." hyungwon practically whines, impatiently tapping his foot against the airport's polished tile, his temper slowly flaring up because the ravenette decided it was a good idea to throw a tantrum now. "you'll have the apartment to yourself too!"  
  
wonho, on his end, does not look the least bit amused. "that's not the point, hyungwon." he mutters, his lips pursed in what seems like checked anger. "i didn't even know about this trip until you were already leaving."  
  
hyungwon rolls his eyes at the accusation. "i would  _forget_ to pay the bills half of the time if it wasn't dad paying for all of it."  
  
the elder does not seem satisfied with the comparison, raising both of his hands in surrender before turning around to leave the blonde alone. hyungwon scoffs, stomps forward to catch up, pulling the ravenette to a stop by the arm of his coat.  
  
"look. i'm sorry i didn't tell you about this." the blonde looks miffed, but wonho guesses it was more from being forced to apologize than any other reason. "but we've been with each other for too long and i just--" he sighs, crossing his arms over his chest. "i just didn't know how to tell you."  
  
wonho exhales to calm his own temper down. "did you think i was going to  _stop_ you?"  
  
"no..." hyungwon hesitates. "well, yeah. a bit. i mean two years without the great me would be too much, right?"  
  
a small smile manages to curl upon wonho's lips, but he schools his expression in mere moments. "i'm not as pitiful as you think i am, chae hyungwon." he lilts his head to one side. "but i would've appreciated being told in advance that you were going to london for a post-doctorate degree instead of me finding it out two days before your actual flight."  
  
"why?" hyungwon pouts, not really liking being in the wrong. "would you have done something stupid and cheesy? because i'd rather not."  
  
"no, of course not." wonho throws any thoughts of buying flowers and balloons and making banners out of the proverbial window in his head. "i would've thrown a party. you're finally getting out of my hair for once, even if it's just two years."  
  
hyungwon smirks. he knows he has been forgiven. "i'll try to come back as soon as possible then, hyung."  
  
"oh, do take your time." wonho dismisses his suggestion with a wave of his hand. "i'll have the time of my life in our apartment alone."  
  
" _pft_." the blonde chuckles. "someone's going to miss me direly."  
  
"please." the ravenette shakes his head, rolling his eyes at the accusation. "i'll call you."  
  
" _no_."  
  
wonho's eyes widen in surprise, matched with a confused quirk of his brow. 'huh?"  
  
"write me letters." hyungwon offered, not looking the least bit joking. "everyday. keep it in a box then give it to me when i come home."  
  
wonho is silent for a few moments, contemplating, and he juts out his lip and gives out a nod after considering his options. "okay."  
  
hyungwon smiles before entering into the check-in counters.  
  
"don't do stupid things when i'm not there, okay?!" wonho calls out, attracting the attention of the other passengers. hyungwon replies with a raised middle finger.  
  
two years passed by quickly, and it wasn't too long until wonho was standing in airport arrivals, bearing a silver box in his hands. hyungwon alights from the escalators looking no less like a movie star, his hair tousled by the wind and his eyes covered by snobbiest pair of sunglasses. he doesn't run to him nor do they hug--their affection was mostly shown in muted smirks and smiling hues.  
  
"save it for later." hyungwon chides once he sees the box, brushing his hand against wonho's own as they make their way out of the crowded airport. wonho shakes his head but takes the younger's hand in his, intertwining their fingers and giving it a small squeeze. he tucks the silver box in his free arm. hyungwon doesn't open it until later.  
  
the box, contrary to expectations, contained only a single letter.  
  
 _dear hyungwon,_  
  
i miss you, you motherfucking asshole. come home soon.  
  
love,  
  
hoseok.  
  
(beyond hyungwon's knowledge, the box was originally filled to the brim with letters, but wonho decided to remove the excess and leave just that one note, one that he had written a day after the blonde had left. he didn't throw the stash, though, just hid it in the deepest part of his closet. hyungwon doesn't find it until a few months later. he laughs at the incredible mush for weeks. wonho regrets not burning the notes.)


	11. Chapter 11

they go on to move addresses after a few years, deciding to get a bigger shared unit nearer to the seoul commercial area. their furniture remained sleek, their ceilings remained high, and floor-to-ceiling windows still encased the drawing room that contained the ivory piano that wonho refused to part with. today, he sits in front of the gleaming beast, keying in a few notes of the  _fur elise_ , as hyungwon sits by the kitchen, poring over his recent case with a cup of strong coffee.  
  
"hyungwon." wonho calls, abruptly stopping in his playing. he peeks from behind the ivory thing.  
  
"hm?" hyungwon doesn't look up from his papers, his dark-rimmed spectacles gleaming in the afternoon sun. "yeah?"  
  
"remember the 'when we turn forty' thing we made when we were kids?"  
  
hyungwon still doesn't look up from his cases. "you were sixteen when we made that. not exactly kids, you know?"  
  
"not the point." wonho keys in an impatient c. "do you remember?"  
  
"of course." hyungwon sets his pen down, resting his head upon his palm as he finally looks at his elder. "what _is_  the point, then?"  
  
"can we lower it to thirty?"  
  
hyungwon purses his lips, stifling a laugh with a loose knuckle to his mouth. "you're turning thirty _tomorrow,_  hyung."  
  
wonho takes it as a no, biting the inside of his cheek as he continued on with the trills of beethoven's most iconic composition. he would've known that the blonde wouldn't budge with their childhood promise, knowing how stubborn he could be. but he tried. and that doesn't mean their promise was off. what was ten more years of waiting, anyway?  
  
"play the  _other_ song." hyungwon orders, his hand busy writing down notes on his client folder. "the german one."  
  
wonho suavely switches to _meine freunden_ , and he grins when he spies the smallest sliver of a smile on the blonde's lips.  
  
ten more years. wonho  _knows_  he could wait.


	12. Chapter 12

"don't do it."  wonho warns, his hands raised to stop the younger blonde from doing anything stupid. "whatever you do, don't jump."  
  
hyungwon merely gives him a look from the edge. "you can't stop me, hyung."  
  
"hyungwon." wonho chides, too aware of the stares from the passers-by. "you're thirty-seven. don't do this."  
  
hyungwon just shrugs, teetering on the edge to face his elder, before offering the most indifferent shrug. "im going to"  
  
"hyungwo--" before wonho could even retaliate, hyungwon has already pulled him along with him, and in mere moments, he is flooded by an army of plastic balls, some sticky and dusty from the antics of children, and the dark-haired male made the biggest fuss in getting out of the mess.  
  
hyungwon traps him by wrapping his legs around his waist, and wonho falls into the ball pit yet again.  
  
"you didn't have to pull me into this, you piece of  _shit_." wonho manages to sit up in the pit, throwing a ball backwards to hit the spoiled attorney smack dab in the face. "what thirty plus year old still finds amusement in ball pits anyway?"  
  
"the cool ones." hyungwon banters, oblivious to the stares of the parents surrounding the pit, their eyes glued to the two well-dressed men having an argument in the pit. "i'm going to have one installed in our apartment."  
  
"no, you are _not._ " wonho pulls himself out of the pit, dusting off his suit from any sticky residue. "i'm going back to work."  
  
hyungwon shoots him a final glare, unseen, before he falls back into the pool of plastic balls.  
  
when wonho comes home, he almost gets a concussion from slipping on a blue plastic ball. the lights are dim, and he is then met with their sofas replaced by a gigantic ball pit, and hyungwon is lying in the middle of all of it, looking as happy as he could. wonho blinks, squints, then he shakes his head, before retreating to the peace of his own bedroom.


	13. Chapter 13

the sun is shining brightly, the birds are chirping their springtime song, seoul is having one of its loveliest days, but hyungwon decides it was much lovelier to be snuggled up in his sheets on his all too comfortable bed. the alarm clock blares on his bedside, but he pays no heed to its ringing. he will wake up when he wants to, and that when is not arriving today.  
  
it was wonho who turns his alarm off, obviously miffed at being awaken by a clock that wasn't even his own.  
  
"rise and shine,  _satan_!" wonho sing-songs, haphazardly opening the black-out curtains that hyungwon constantly had drawn over his own set of floor-to-ceiling windows. "the sun is shining so, so brightly outside!"  
  
hyungwon groans from his bed, turning to the other side to avoid the sun, burrowing further into his duvet.  
  
"get out of my room, hyung." hyungwon whines, sounding entirely miffed. "i'm not waking up."  
  
"you're going to be late for work." wonho chides, patting the younger's butt as he sits on his bed. " _again_."  
  
hyungwon lets out another audible groan. "i  _own_ that fucking firm, hyung." he whines, matter of factly. "i can't be late even if i wanted to."  
  
"but i will be." wonho retaliates, pulling the duvet off of the lanky blonde. hyungwon turns on his belly, whining and groaning, possibly planning a billion ways to murder his elder in his head.  "you crashed my car, remember? you promised to drive me to work."  
  
"but it's so _early_." hyungwon complains, and wonho quirks a brow at him because it was just half an hour past ten o'clock. "can't you drive yourself to work, hyung?"  
  
wonho shakes his head, standing up and taking the both of the younger's arms in an attempt to pull him out of the bed. he succeeds, but hyungwon now finds solace on the carpeted floor. "get up, will you? i don't want to undergo your car's stupid voice command thing." he gives the blonde a soft kick to his side. "it's kind of creepy that it calls you master, too."  
  
hyungwon sleepily stands up, rubbing his eyes in an effort to awaken. "what's the fuss abou _t anyway_ , hyung? it's not like they'll consider their president late for work anyway." he yawns into a delicate hand. "stop disturbing my sleep."  
  
" _nope_." wonho wraps his arms around the younger's waist, barreling the both of them out of the room. "unlike you, i actually respect rules and regulations. now." he sits the blonde down at the kitchen counter, presenting him with two shots of unsweetened espresso. "down those, wake yourself up, and drive me to work. then you can go back to sleep."  
  
hyungwon makes a face as he gulps down the espresso shots, knowing he doesn't have much of a choice. he combs his hair and drives wonho to work, but he decides to take his revenge by getting out of the car and kissing the elder hard on the mouth, right in front of all his employees making their way to work. some stare, some walk faster, but the blonde couldn't care any less.  
  
"goodnight," hyungwon says despite it being almost noon. "just give me a call when you're out."  
  
wonho gulps and nods, his ears red and burning from the public display, keeping a mental note to never trifle with a sleepy chae.


	14. Chapter 14

hyungwon is sitting by their shared balcony, admiring the mid-morning view, when wonho approaches him baring a small velvet box.  
  
"hey." wonho kneels on one knee, opening the box to reveal a simple silver band. hyungwon quirks a brow. "happy 40th."  
  
hyungwon smirks, but he offers his hand to his elder. wonho grins, slipping the band upon his left ring finger with ease. "happy,  _indeed_."


End file.
